Paul Barber says the club are 'excited' about having fans back in the Amex, even if initially it will be relatively small numbers.
Albion will find out on Thursday which tier the area is placed in under the latest Government coronavirus restrictions and whether 2000 or 4000 will be in the stadium for the visit of Southampton at the beginning of December.
He said, “We are used to staging events for up to 30,000 people, so in some ways we are getting back to what we do and what we have been trained to do.
“That's exciting actually. The one thing I have always enjoyed about working in football strangely are the periods in-between matches when the stadium is empty and peaceful, I now hate those periods!
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“So the thought of bringing even 2000 fans back in the next week or two is very exciting. Our staff are really energised and it's a lift for them. It's not going to financially change our lives in any way, in fact it's probably going to contribute to our losses more than anything. But it's a small step towards where we want to go which is back to normal, which is having a full stadium again.”
For EFL clubs with smaller stadiums and fanbases, the return of supporters will be a financial lifeline. Less so for Premier League clubs, but Barber recognises the psychological lift it will provide as well.
“It's an opportunity to test the plans that we have put in place for weeks and months. It's an opportunity for some of our staff to return to the office environment having worked at home for periods of time. It's an opportunity for the players to get the energy that the fans provide.
“Ultimately it's a reward for the fans that have been so patient for the last nine months. They have supported us from beside their TV screens, but there is nothing like being in the stadium, making some noise and getting behind the team. That is really important for us.”
Barber believes clubs whose tier status means they won't be allowed to open their doors will still benefit from playing in front of fans away from home.
“I can only refer to the test event that we had in the summer and speaking afterwards to [Chelsea head coach] Frank Lampard about how as energised his players were, how they enjoyed being be back in front of fans even though they were Brighton fans and not Chelsea fans.
“There's going to be some partisan fans shouting more for our team, but hopefully the atmosphere that we have been missing so much will benefit everybody, hopefully us just a little bit more than our opposition!”